Before I move into 2009

Standing on the threshold of 2009, taking one long look at the year that was, I can see it has been a very eventful year, not only personally but also globally. So many ups and downs and so much has happened. I realize now that I have only been looking at the downs all this while when there were in fact so many ups. It has indeed been an eventful year.

In January college started off with the arrival of the NAAC team. There was so much to do in college and I had to help almost every section. But it paid off and no prizes for guessing who got noticed by the members of the NAAC team.

In the same month too did the 3rd years and I share a little secret: the movie outing that I had with some of them along with Reens and Reshmi. Watching Taare Zameen Par with them (actually I was behind them) was an experience in itself. And they certainly enjoyed the movie. I still remember them making fun off Priyanka for getting emotional during the movie. They were aghast when I told them I had an assignment for them but when they realized I only wanted them to see if they could spot other dyslexics in their respective areas they breathed a sigh of relief.

Another very important thing occurred in Jan – I met some of my best friends – Jas & Rash from the SW department. Who realized then that we would transform each other so much? Lins, who was in the same department, needs to be included in this though I must say we have had a rather stage sort of friendship (I always end up fighting with him!).

In February there was college day where I proudly watched my student Dayana win the Best Outgoing Student award (a prize I had always coveted and her winning it seemed to remove some of my disappointment). Equally important was seeing my girls carry off the Best Performance at the Arts Fest and Overall Championship trophies.

In February too was a day that my students and I remember – the day the Star of B.C.M. contest was held. In the contest Priyanka won the 2nd runner-up position. But more important to all of us was the surprise I had prepared for them. When Jove, Chitra and Fathima got on stage to sing a beautiful friendship song from the movie Happy Days, a song that had been specially dedicated to the 3rd years of both the English and Vocational, I guess many memories were created that day.

March to June were the months when Elsa and I settled down to work on the college magazine. I also had to work on the UGC-NET exams, which I successfully managed not to pass again. The magazine eventually did come out well and despite all the criticism and the restrictions we worked under, we did it quite well.

The rest of the year had been a flurry of activities, so much that I don’t even remember the dates.

I joined college in July, post the NET exam. With the SW department’s Samanya Sandhya round the corner, I was busy helping them out with everything I could. The event finally pulled off well. My favourite part was the drama which was damn moving and handled so intricately.
The end of the year saw the drama’s sequel being enacted at the MG University Youth Festival. This drama not only won 3rd place at the festival, despite all the problems they faced, but it also got the best actor award for Jain. I am proud to have been a tiny part of this effort, however insignificant. Jove and Linto were the other 2 actors in the drama and Bibeesh was the assistant director. The 4 of them are obviously my students of MSW – the students I was not lucky enough to teach but who have nevertheless accepted me as a part of them. Meeting them, I felt, has been one of my greatest privileges as they have taught me a lot about life. And their immense potential and talent would make any teacher proud to have known them. God bless this wonderful batch.

And then there is my own batch of students, of whom I am the class teacher. My current 3rd year batch is a mixed bunch. At one end of the class there are the ideal pupils – the studious, every-ready-to-help bunch. And at the other end, the trouble makers, the ones least interested in studies, but the ones I have found to also have hearts of gold. The class has certainly put me on trial and I have done the same to them. But we seem to have managed to pull ourselves out of all the trouble we got into to and I am so proud of them now.

You see, this was the class that everyone gave up on. This was the class that nobody had many expectations about and I’m afraid many still think the same. But they have managed to transform themselves with a little help from me. This is very evident when you think that at the beginning of day 1 of the 2-day Arts Fest, the English department began with zero points & at the end of the day, considering how difficult it is to gain points, we stood at 87! Now they are all set to receive the trophies on college day that nobody thought they would get. I am glad to see that my backbenchers have decided to take on every challenge thrown to them and fought to get every prize at the Arts Fest.

While their academics still seem to be a slight problem for me, I believe they have realized that its time they sit up and start noticing what they have been sent to college to do and I have every hope that they will all assure me a 100% pass this year.

And we have had fun too. There was the tour we did together, the sip-up treat of mine, the inter-collegiate Fiesta, the welcome to the Freedom Walk team, the videos we watched in class, my surprise song for them, the song they dedicated to me at the ganamela, the celebrations and disappointments we shared at various competitions, the talks we heard, the controversies we discussed and the planning we did, the daily msging we continue to share… there was so much to share and learn from each other. And the process continues with much more in store. Having been a part of so many lives has itself been a gift for me.

My 2nd year students have certainly brightened up my life. On teacher’s day they gave me a very cute card that I still carry around in my folder. And the enthusiasm of their class especially in people such as Neethu makes it a joy to be with them. We have been able to watch many videos together. And Sheeba treats me like she would a friend of hers, which makes for an unusual relationship (considering we have much in common). This goes for my relationship with many others like Neethu and Lakshmi. I certainly enjoy being with them and they have been one enthu lot.

This year has also been one where I got to meet a lot of wonderful people. There was first my distant cousin Zach, someone whose existence I had never realized. Meeting him was wonderful, not only because of his intellect, but here was a kindred spirit who would be able to actually understand what I talk about. And I’m grateful for the opportunity.

Then came 2 famous people I was lucky to meet. First was Shashi Tharoor, with whom I literally rubbed shoulders with (thanks to a quick photo session) and thus got my copy of his Riot autographed. Then was the opportunity to listen to and see from afar the famous Abdul Kalam. I also met and spoke to a lesser known writer Nirmala Aravind, who also happily autographed for me. My brief dialogue with Kalki, the famous advocate of transgenders, and one herself, gained her one more fan in me.

Attending the Soorya Festival with the boys and Jas and also Deepak was an experience itself and transported me back to my Chennai days when I would attend performances with friends. I thus watched Lakshmi Gopalaswamy’s Bharatnatyam, fusion music, Odissi, Kathak and the Rajesh Vaidya group’s excellent and perfect fusion, in addition to some wonderful dramatic performances.

This is the year I began this blog and in addition also got published in the newspapers, primarily in kottayamvartha. I have a big collection of all the times the news I gave in got published.
An important achievement was that this year I was able to start the first reading club in Kottayam – Seekers, at B.C.M. Next year I am hoping for reading clubs to spring up. This year too the movie club was inaugurated and hopefully next year we shall have the movie fest.

Again, at college I have started my certificate scheme and that certainly has made a difference to my students.

My infrequent trips to Chennai have proved to me how much I miss my life, and more importantly, my friends there. But then I have made some wonderful friends among my students, some of whom I hope to retain for life.

My boat trip with the SW department was one of the best days of the year, considering it happened at a point in time when I was really feeling low about myself. Not only did it boost my ego, but Jas & I had this beautiful time together on the boat that we will cherish for eternity. Despite the consequences I faced for going on that trip, I really did enjoy myself among the new batch of the MSW.

I find that globally it has been a difficult year: the recession and consequent layoffs worldwide, the Mumbai attacks, the persecution in Orissa, the harassment in the Sister Abhaya case… it has also been a difficult year and I find that people have had to fight against a lot.

But personally this has been a year for me to gain some new fans in varied fields, very often unknowingly. This has also been my year of expanding my vistas from the various programs and seminars I attended. I also got to know who is friend and foe, especially at the workplace. While I was forced to say goodbye to some of my treasured friends, I met some others and got to know some much better than I normally would have done. I got a bunch of students that I cherish. I met some wonderful and inspirational people, even among the students. The B.Com. 2nd year batch have also become my prodigies and I have been able to carry out some wonderful creative teaching with them – memories that all of us will cherish. Nivea, Jency and Archana are almost like my friends despite the restrictions imposed on us. I have come to love teaching – something I once despised. And most importantly I have found out quite a bit about myself and that I think is the best part about 2008.

Happy New Year to all of you. May the coming year be one of wonder, surprise and pure joy for all of us.